Towing system for ships.



e. MEYER & E. wALTz.

wwme SYSTEM FOR SH|PS.-

APPLICATIGNTILED APR. 2|. 1914.

1,275,286. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G MEYER & E. WALTZ. Towmc SYSTEM FOR SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED APILZI. I914.

1,275,286. Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- G. MEYER & E. WALTZ.

TOWING SYSTEM FOR SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I, I914.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- G. MEYER & E. WALTZ.

TOWING SYSTEM FOR SHIPS. APPLICATION FILED APR.21.1914.

1,275,286, Patented Aug. 13,1918;

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Ji 7a U ITED STATES PATENT onnron'i.

GEORG MEYER, F BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG, AND EMIL WALTZ, OF BERLIN-STEGLITZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS T0 SIEMENS-SGHUCKERTWERKE, G. M. B. 11., 0F BERLIN,

GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

TOWING SYSTEM FOR SHIPS.

To all whom it may concern companying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is Be it known that we, Gnone MEYER, a German citlzen, and resident of Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany, and EMIL WALTZ, a

German citizen, and resident of Berlin-Steg take curves of the river or canal. Our pres ent inygntion has for its object to solve this problem, and it briefly consists in assembling one or more pairs of friction rollers to form a unitary driving mechanism, and in arranging the rollers of each pair to rock in common about one horizontal axis. If desired, each pair may also swing about a vertical axis. In known friction wheel mechanisms of the type referred to the single rollers are mounted to swing about two axes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tug-boat, in order to enable the pairs of friction rollers to be swung apart when being applied to or cleared entirely from the guide rail. advantage that when the tug-boat swings or moves sidewise the guide-rail becomes disengaged from the friction-wheel mechanism, because, as will be readily understood, the several pairs of driving rollers are displaced relatively to one another and no longer. constitute a proper driving mechanism adapted to coact with the rail. According to our invention we obviate this defeet by assembling one or more pairs of driving rollers to form one integral driving mechanism which is arranged to rock about one single horizontal axis. Preferably this axis is taken parallel to the longitudinal described direction of the tug-boat.

These and other improvements hereinafter and pointed out in the claims will be understood by reference to the ac- This construction has the di Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug". 13, 1918.

Application filed April 21, 1914. Serial No. 833,385.

section on the line 12 in Fig. 7, showing a construction comprising two pairs of friction. roller mechanisms driven conjointly, each pair being arranged to rock independently of the other about a common hori zontal axis,'and Fig. 7 .is a top plan view thereof, partly in section on the line: 3-4 in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a side elevation, partly in section of a driving mechanism comprising one pair of friction rollers which can rock in the same manner as in the construction shown in Fig. 5, and which in addition can swing about a vertical axis, and Fig. 9 is front elevation, partly in section, of the construction shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is an elevation, partly in section, of an ar rangement similar to that shown in Fig. 6, but in which the two pairs of friction rollers can also be swung about a common vertical axis; and Fig. 11 is a top plan view, partly in section, of the construction shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12' is a vertical section through one end of a tug-boat, and Fig. 13

is a top plan view of the same, partly in section.

InFigs. 3 and 4 we have shown the above mentioned arrangement of a pair of friction .rollers which is built together with a common driving mechanism and can be con jointly rocked about a single horizontal axis. Both the shafts w of the friction rollers r are driven by means of a single worm gear q and are simultaneously arranged to permit, rocking. about the axis Q of the driving worm constituting a common fulcrum. If swinging or lateral motions of the tug-boat take place, in this construction the individual pairs of the driving rollers 1- will keep, the guide rail S gripped between themselves irrespective of the fluctuations or the lateral motions of the axis as shown in Fig. 4, so that slipping out of the guide rail arranged one behind the other in the direction of the guide rail will be necessary, and

when these are united to form one driving mechanism, they can be arranged to rock conjointly about one common axis inv the like manner as the pair of friction rollers shown in Fig. 5.

When several pairs of friction rollers are employed which are assembled to form one single driving mechanism, there is danger that owing to the small distance of the pairs of driving rollers from each other, the rail will be sharply bent as soon as laterally deflecting forces, .for instance lateral currents of air or water act upon the hull of the boat, because the guide rail is subjected to bending stresses by a pair of forces acting in a horizontal direction. The bending mos ments thus occurring with the same defiecting forces are greater the longer the boat and thesmaller the distance between the end pairs of rollers. A suitable increase in the distance between the outermost pair of driving or guiding rollers can be obtained only with difliculty, if only one driving mechanism is used which is constructedlto permit the pairs of rollers to swing. Also, if curves of a riveror canal are to be passed, the pairs of rollers of a single driving mechanism must not extend too far in the direction of the guide rail. Inadmissibly high bending stresses on the guide rail in a horizontal direction due to forces which tend 'toturn the boat can be prevented by a'construction in which the pairs of rollers for driving and guiding the tug-boat are assembled to form several driving mechanisms which are mounted to rock transversely of the direction of the guide rail independently of each other and one behind another in the direction of the guide rail. This arrangement enables the tug-boat to pass curves and permits the several driving mechanisms to be arranged at any desired distance from each other.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7,'each of the driving rollers 7" cooperates in the well known manner with a second friction roller coacting with the opposite side of the guide rail S, and they are driven by a motor m through a gear wheel 9 and are individually mounted to rock about an axis 9 located parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tugboat. Each pair of friction rollers thus forms an independent driving mechanism. The distance between the two driving mechanisms may be made as great as desired, because such pairs of rollers which can swing independently of each other permit the tug-boat to pass curves. This arrangement of a plurality'of driving mechanisms able to rock independently of each other has'the additional adyantage that in. those cases in pled fromE the motor, but may, still serve as a guiding roller mechanism if desired. In this arrangement the motor of the second drivingsmechanism. may simply be brought to a standstill. Each of the driving mechanisms, .of course, may also comprise a plurality of pairs of rollers. Likewise, instead of employing a plurality of driving mechanisms, one single driving mechanism -may be used and then one or more pivotally mounted roller groups which are not driven may be used for positively guiding the tugboat.

The bending stresses acting on the guide. rail when forces tend to rotate the hull of the boat can be decreased, and the tug-boat can more easily pass curves if the roller groups coacting with the rail for driving and guiding the tug-boat and unitedto form one or more driving mechanisms are arranged to revolve or to be swung about one or more vertical axes in such a manner that the hull of the boat can rotate under the influence of external forces within the practically necessary limits and independently of the driving mechanisms. The rotation of the boat in this case takes place without subj ecting the rail to bending stresses.

Figs. 8 and 9 show a driving mechanism comprising one pair of'friction rdllers 1' upon whose shafts are mounted the worm wheels pdriven by the motor 07?. through a gear mechanism 2" and a driving worm Q. The two friction rollers can rock individually about the axis of the worm g andthey can be swung conjointly about a vertical axis. The entire driving mechanism rests on horizontal ball-bearings it, which enablethe same to be rotated in a horizontal plane about a vertical axis. The frames. of the ball-bearings are supported by a frame t united with the frame of the tug-boat. I In the construction shown an-angle of rotation of 360 is provided for. In case only limited capability of rotation is required, the lower frames of the ball-bearings may be ,constructed in the form of segments.

This mode of construction is particularly advantageous for tug-boats having aplurality of driving mechanisms which are arranged one behind another in the direction of the guide rail and are rotatable about a common vertical axis. The driving mechanisms which are rotatable about the common journal will then, similar to the front and rearsets of wheels in the trucks of railroad cars, be able to adjust themselves in. dividually in a tangential direction to the curve of the guide rail, while the boat will adjust itself into the direction of a chord drawn between the points of application of the several driving mechanisms. The pas- 1,2 riftgasc sageof any desired curves which may differ from'one another is possible without difiiculty when employing the above described construction which automatically adapts itself to every degree of curvature.

In the construction shown in Figs. and

'11 two driving mechanisms are mounted one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail on a common 1ron 1O 70 10 ,70 whose lower segmental bearing united with the frame of the boat.

frame 6, which rests upon ball-bearings k ings necessary for enabling rotation of the driving mechanisms in a horizontal direc tion does not form. part of the subject-matter of our. present invention; any desired suitable construction may be used, such as guiding devices comprising plain bearings, roller-bearings or ball-bearings.

It is preferable to make the distance between the outermost pairs of rollers as large as possible in order to decrease the bending stresses imposed upon the rail in a vertical direction, to which said rail is subjected when it is lifted from the bottom'of the river or canal. For a given size of tugboat the greatest distance between the pairs of'friction rollers is obtained by arranglng the driving mechanisms at the ends of the sults in further advantages, in that the midboat, as shown by way of example in a general view in Fig. 1. This construction redle part of the tug-boat remains free for the accommodation, for instance, of the power plant for driving the boat, the driving mechanisms being located at those parts of the boat which are of little value for its carrying capacity. 7

In Figs. 12 and 13 the driving mecha nis'ms provided in the bow and stern of the tug-locatare shown as comprising a single pair of friction rollers; the driving mechanism, however, may comprise a plurality of pairs of friction rollers if desired.

In order to facilitate the towing service, damping or buffer device of any suitable known kind may be provided between the parts which are rotated relatively to one another in a horizontal plane, such as the frame of the boat and the frame of the driviugmechanism. Furthermore, the pressure which exists between the parts rotated relatively to one another can be'measured by means of indicating devices. These pressure indicating devices are preferably provided with known mechanism for automatically adjusting'the rudder of the tugboat. r e

The pressure exerted between the friction rollers and the rail can beregulated by derollers.

vices for moving the rollers closer. together,

these devices being actuated either. by hand or positively by the tractive force .of the tug-boat. In order to avoidjoints in mechanism under water such rollerclosing de vices are preferably applied to the driving mechanisms above the level of the water, as shown byway of example in Figs. 5 and 9. The devices for regulating the pressure may act directly on the shafts transmit-ting rotation to the friction rollers, as shown in Fig. 5, orseparate shafts concentric with the former may be provided, which transmit the pressure to the friction rollers. 1 In Figs. 12 and 13 we have shown a further construction of this kind for a pair of friction rollers in which each rollershaft is mounted to rock about an axis 00 parallel to the direc tion of'the guide rail and to revolve about the vertical axis 2. ,The shaftstransmitting rotation to the friction rollers are driven by a set of gear wheels 9 carried. by

the frame The interior resilient axle on will readily follow slight changes in' the distance between the friction rollers, so that the pressure which holds the friction rollers against the rail can be regulated by meansof the pressure shafts d independently of the gear-wheels for. rotating ,the driving The external pressureshafts are preferably made so powerful that they can transmit to the friction rollers large pressures, while they are themselves deflected only slightly. It is also. possible to employ separate pressure shafts with driving m'echanisms mounted to rock about a single hori Zontal axis, such as are shown by way of example in Figs. 12 and, 13. The friction rollers are driven by means of gear wheels 9 and 'bevelgearing i byihe mot'orm. The rotatory motion of the friction rollers which is necessary for driving the tug-boat is transmitted by means of the'shafts w, while the pressure for pressing said rollers against the guide rail is transmitted by means of the pressure shafts (Z which carry said rollers at their lower ends. The shafts w, w,

for transmitting said rotatory motion are mounted fixedly to the boat, whilethe pressure, shafts are mounted to permit swingllli Y ,ing. The shafts '40, w and d, (Z together with thefgears g, g and i, z: shaft- 2, frame'g etc., will swing as a unit around the vertical ax s w. Independently of this the pressure rollers. The pressure exerted.

by the rollers may be regulated by means .125

of the spring In this construction therefore the driving mechanism isso mounted: that 1t can be moved about a .cer-

,tain point within certain limits in any; direction WltllOllt; causing its. several parts to shafts z with the shaft x.

As mentioned above, in order to prevent be displaced relatively to oneanother, that 1 impacts occurring between the body, of the I tug-boat and the driving mechanism when relative displacement takes place between these two, da-mping means may be inserted between said driving mechanism and the body of the tug-boat. These damplng means a are indicated iii-Fig. 13' in the form of springs 8 which are interposed between theforks y and the frame of the tugboat.

Having thus described our invention we claim-as new and desire to securelbyLetters Patent of the United States 1. Ina towing system, the combination of a boat carrying a motor, a driving mechanism comprising a pair ofshafts and rollers -'at the ends thereofadapted to grip a rall 1n the-water, said shafts being mounted to rock about one common horizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for thesame, and

means drivenby the motor for-rotating the shafts.

2. In a=tow1ng system, the combination of a boat carrying a motor, a driving mecha-u -111SDTOOD1PI1SlI1g a pair of shafts and rollers at the'ends thereof'adapted to grlp a rail 1n the water,-said shafts being mounted to rock about one common horizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for the sameyand mounted to revolve horizontally about one common vertical axis, andmeans driven by the motor for driving the shafts.

3. In a 'towingsystem, the combination of a boat carrying a motor, a plurality ofv pairs of shafts each having afriction roller at its end'adapted to grip a rail in the water, each a pair of rollers being mounted to rock laterally independently of the others about one common horizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for said shafts, and means driven by the motor for rotating some of the pairs of shafts.

, 4:. In a towing system, the combination of a boat carrying a motor, a driving mechanism. comprising a plurality of pairs of *shafts each having a frictionroller at its end adapted to grip a rail in the water,said

rollers bein mounted to rock laterally about one common horizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for said shafts, and to revolve horizontally about one common vertical axis, and means driven by the motor for driving the shafts.

5. In a towing system, the combination of a boat-carrying a motor, a, plurality of spaced pairs of-shafts each having a-i'friction roller at its endadaptedto grip a rail in the water,

each-pair ofshafts beingmounted to rock about a common horizontal axis," constitutthe ing a common fulcrum for'said shafts-, and means driven by the motor for rotating the rollers of at least one of said pairs of rollers about their own axes.

6. In a towing system, the, combination of a boat carrying a motor, and'adrivingmechanism connected with the motor, said mechanism comprising a worm gear, two. shafts, a

pair of friction'rollers carried by the shafts and adapted to grip a rail in the water, and a pair of-gear wheels carriedby the shafts and meshing with saidworm gear at opposite sides thereof, saidshafts being mounted by the shafts and meshing with said worm gear at opposite sides thereof,-said shafts being mounted to rock about the worm gear which constitutes a common fulcrum for the same, and said driving mechanism being mounted to rotate as a whole about .a"verticalaxis.

.8. In a towing systemthe combinationiof a boat carrying. a motor, a driving mechanism comprising a pair of'rollers' adapted to grip, a railin the water, said rollers being mounted to rock laterally independently of one another about. one common horizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for the same, and means driven by the motor for rotating the rollersnabout their own axes.

9. In a towing systennthe combination of a boat carrying a motor, a plurality of driv' ing mechanisms mounted .to revolve about a common vertical axis and each comprising a 7 pair of rollers adapted to grip a rail in the water, the rollers being .mounted to rock laterally independently of one'another about one commonhorizontal axis constituting a common fulcrum for the same, and means driven by the motor for rotating the rollers about their own axes.

10. In a towing system, the combination of aboat carrying a motor, a driving mechanism comprising a pairof shafts androllers at the ends thereof adapted to grip a rail in the water, saidshafts being mounted to rock about one common horizontal axle constituting a common fulcrum for the same, means driven by the motor for rotating the shafts, and a pressure device.- acting 011 said shafts and tending tocause the rollers to approach one another.

11. In. a towing system, the combination of a boat carrying a motor, a driving mechanism comprising a pair ,of rollersadapted to grip a rail in the water, said rollers being mounted -to rock laterally'independently of one another about one common horizontal axle constituting a common fulcrum for the same, and to swing as a whole about one common vertical axis, means driven by the motor for rotating the shafts about their longitudinal axes, and buffer means operatively connected between the driving mechanism and the frame of the boat.

12. In a tug-boat, the combination of a plurality of driving mechanisms which are arrangedat some distance from each other,- each of said driving mechanisms consisting of a plurality of friction rollers adapted to grip a guide rail which is mounted on the water bed, and each of said driving mechanisms being mounted to permit it to swing laterally around a horizontal axis as a unit and independently of the other driving mechanisms.

13. In a tug-boat, the combination of a around a vertical axis and simultaneously to swing laterally around a horizontal axis, as a unit and independently of the other driving mechanisms.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our signatures in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORG MEYER. EMIL WALTZ.

Witnesses HENRY HASPER, WOLDEMAR HAUPT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

